The riots and violent attacks by neo-Communist "Antifa" thugs in Portland have made something very clear: It is time for law enforcement to crack down on violent protests. The situation has escalated out of control. Things are going to get a lot worse, and eventually bullets will start flying. There will be dozens of people dead in the streets, and we can point the finger of blame at the "police" who refused to do their jobs and restore order in the middle of a violent insurrection. I hope I am wrong. I am not.

First, we need to get something straight: The idea that Andy Ngo - a man of Vietnamese descent - is a "white supremacist" is so obviously absurd that there is no way anyone making that claim actually believes it. Non-white people are not white supremacists. There may be a tiny sliver of the people making this claim who are so stupid or deranged that they actually believe Ngo is a "white supremacist" but almost all of them are just liars. They are lying and smearing Ngo to justify terrorist violence against him.

Back to the violence: The simple reality of human nature is that violence begets violence. Neo-Communist "Antifa" terrorists are going to provoke the Right to get more violent in response to attacking and brutally beating innocent civilians and journalists who are peacefully documenting a protest. In fact, we have already seen the "alt right" openly brawling with "Antifa" in places like Berkeley. The longer the government refuses to restore order, the more likely that more clashes will take place. That response will not only be from the "alt right" but from mainstream conservatives who will be forced to defend their lives with lethal force.

I do not want to see open gang warfare in the streets between Left and Right. This is not only because of the potential for serious injuries and death, but because a lack of civil order is the kind of thing that leads people to want a strongman to take power and "restore order." Civil liberties will be pushed aside, and we will at best be teetering on the edge of a totalitarian regime. Is this what "Antifa" wants? Do they want to see their own members dead in the streets from bullets, knives and blunt force trauma? Do they want an oppressive fascist regime to take power in response to their thuggery?

We ought to be able to work out our political differences without throwing quick-dry cement on people or beating them with metal bars. It ought to be a basic American principle that there is never an excuse for violence against a political opponent. If the local authorities will not stop this nonsense through cowardice or political bias, President Trump should declare that this is an armed insurrection and deploy the military to shut it down. It would not take much of a show of force to deter future terrorist actions, and it would save lives in the long run. Are you paying attention, President Trump?